Operation: Unite and Conquer
by Umbra the Hedgehog
Summary: The Central Park Zoo has a new otter arrival. At the same time, Kowalski tries to find out why and how science has failed him.
1. The new arrival

Hello, everyone! This is Umbra the Hedgehog signing in! This time, I'm writing a story about those awesome maniacs, the Penguins of Madagascar!

Description: The Central Park Zoo has a new otter arrival. At the same time, Kowalski tries to find out why and how science has failed him.

**NOTE: **

-I do not own anything presented in this story other than my own OC.

* * *

_**Operation: Unite and Conquer**_

Chapter 1: The new arrival.

The penguins were at their HQ, having a normal day after the Love-u-lator proved to be a failure.

Skipper was drinking his coffee cup of the day, Private was watching TV, and Rico was sitting next to his doll girlfriend, combing her hair. Kowalski, however...

Well, he had just recovered from his disappointment-fueled mental breakdown, but he was still puzzled by the failure of his invention.

"I don't get it. It just doesn't make any sense!"

_**-flashback-**_

"_Yes! The Love-u-lator is finally complete!"_

_Kowalski had finished his latest invention, a machine that could locate the subject's ideal match 'according to science'._

_Skipper approached him. __"Good work, Kowalski."_

"_All in a day's work, Skipper."_

_Private raised his flipper. "Does it really work, Kowalski?"_

"_I have absolutely no idea." Kowalski replied, proudly. "The device works, but we'll need a guinea pig to test it."_

"_But there are no guinea pigs in the zoo."_

_Kowalski went to look for his Animal Kingdom picture set. "Then we'll have to search for a genetically similar specimen."_

* * *

"_Meet...the Love-u-lator 3000! Using scientifically proven methods, it will scientifically locate your ideal match according...to science."_

_After Private brought her in with her eyes covered and told her they would 'solve all her problems', Marlene was baffled when she saw the device._

"_Yeah, good. Real quick, one thing: WHAT?!"_

"_I mentioned science, right?"_

* * *

_Skipper pointed at his weapons expert. __"Rico, spit vision time!"_

"_W-wait, spit wha-" Marlene found her question cut off by Rico pulling out her tongue and swabbing it._

_Kowalski introduced the sample into the machine. "Now that we have a saliva sample, DNA cross referencing will do its...thing."_

* * *

"_He's near, very near." The penguins followed the signal to its location. "In fact, he's here! Gentlemen, Marlene's perfect match!"_

_Upon lowering the device, Kowalski saw it was...a squirrel?_

"_Hello?" Not just any squirrel. It was Fred._

_Skipper was annoyed. "Oh, no. Not that guy."_

"_What guy?" Fred replied, as clueless as ever._

"_It's what the Love-u-lator says."_

* * *

_The penguins arrived at the otter habitat__ with Fred, and Marlene seemed irritated._

"_You guys! Hello? I told you, I don't want-" She was cut off again, this time by Kowalski._

"_Marlene, I am begging you in a hushed whisper! Please, do this for me! I'm losing faith in science. And if I don't have science, I don't have..." He found himself unable to complete his sentence due to his uncontrollable sobbing._

_Being how she is, she couldn't refuse. "OK, Kowalski. I will do this for you. But you owe me!"_

* * *

_The penguins were back in their __habitat, relaxing on top of their base._

_Private wondered how Marlene's date with Fred was going, but Skipper and Kowalski assur__ed him it would go over well. Kowalski's faith in science had been restored._

_That is, of course, until Marlene popped up in front of them._

"_Hey, guys. So, uh, Fred...yeah. Not happening."_

"_What?" Kowalski became unsure again._

"_Yeah. Turns out, what I thought was him being funny was actually him just being, uh..."_

_Skipper completed the sentence for her. "Dumb as a sack of hammers?"_

"_Let's just say, I did not hear Spanish guitar when we were together."_

_Kowalski couldn't believe what he was hearing. His love machine...failed._

"_But...science led us right to him. Science said...he was perfect." He stood up, clearly disturbed. "Science! Why have you forsaken me?!"_

_**-end flashback-**_

"How could it fail? What went wrong?"

Kowalski had recovered the radar he had tossed in the trash and disassembled it, thinking that maybe something was wrong with the wiring.

"Wait, what's this?" After eyeing it closely, he found something was out of place.

As he prepared to analyze it, though, he was interrupted by Marlene showing up unannounced inside their base yet again.

"Hey, guys!"

And, as usual, she was received with the regular penguin greeting: a sudden attack.

After realizing it was the otter, they let her go.

"You guys, how many times do we have to go through this?"

Skipper stood in front of her. "What are you doing here, Marlene?" He responded in his usual tone.

Marlene then remembered what she had come for.

"Oh, right. Yeah, the thing is, well..." She took a deep breath. "I'm getting another roommate."

Skipper's eyes widened at the news. "Hoover Dam!" He then turned to his team. "Men, the walrus spy is back! Prepare for Operation: Preventive Force!"

As the penguins headed for the door, Marlene stood in front of them.

"Wait, wait! It's not her!"

"How can you be sure?"

"I heard Alice talk with another zookeeper. He said they were bringing another otter to my habitat."

"Oh, Marlene. Still as cute and naïve as ever." Skipper patted her cheek. "You just don't know when the enemy is tricking you."

The otter was annoyed due to Skipper's attitude, and she just made her way out of their base.

"You know what, Skipper? Maybe you're right. Maybe it's a mutant." Marlene replied with a mocking tone. "I better go back to my habitat and check it out myself."

Skipper just stood in place, surprised by the female's reaction, while the others went back to what they were doing.

_Let's follow Marlene..._

The otter habitat was looking better than ever.

Marlene had pretty much whipped out the welcome mat, with her home looking almost exactly like the time the walrus had been confirmed to arrive.

"OK, everything's ready." She was really looking forward to having a new roommate, following the former transfer fiasco. As she waited for the new otter to arrive, however, her attention shifted to the penguins' home.

Why? Well, to be honest, it was Skipper.

Marlene openly showed him she was offended when he thought she didn't know what she was talking about. However, the fact that he was ready to boycott the transfer for her really touched her. Sure, he said it was because of 'the walrus spy', but she knew how it worked.

She knew Skipper was just the way Private had described him during the missing crown incident: '_Crusty on the outside, soft and warm on the inside, and good in a jam_'. The problem was that this was hard to see with his usual attitude.

But why did she care?

That's the question that was constantly popping up in her head. Why was she so concerned about Skipper's behavior?

As she began to reflect on this, a box landed in front of her.

The sudden appearance of the box caught Marlene's attention, distracting her from her earlier thoughts. As she began to approach it, the front of the box fell down. Out of the box came her new roommate: a male otter around her height.

"Whew, that was definitely an easier trip. I thought the box was gonna break like last time." He then looked at Marlene. "Oh, hey. How are you doing?"

"Oh, uh, I'm good."

"It's good to know they got the right directions this time."

Marlene was pleased so far. There was actually another otter in front of her, he hadn't squashed her on arrival, and he didn't seem to have hygiene problems.

"So, uh, what's your name?"

"Oh, right. I'm Marlene. What's yours?"

"I'm Jason. Nice to meet you, Marlene."

"Jason? That's an interesting name for an otter."

"Yeah, courtesy of my folks."

No sooner than that, Marlene heard a sound coming from her home.

"Hey, what was that?" Her new roommate was surprised.

But she wasn't. "It's the zoo penguins."

By the time she was going to tell Jason that going up to them wouldn't be a good idea, he had already made his way in.

As she made her way back inside, she heard the penguins talk to him.

"How did you get in here?"

"That's classified information. Who are you?"

"I'm Marlene's new roommate."

"And where is she?"

"Oh, judging by the lack of surprise regarding your entry, she's probably gonna come and just stare at you."

And, sure enough, she came in.

She was shocked to see that not all the penguins had entered her habitat. In fact, it was only one of them.

"Seriously, Skipper. I have a door, you know."

Skipper just turned around and came out to face her.

"What did you come for?"

"Is this the roommate you were talking about?"

"Yeah. Why do you ask?"

Skipper didn't answer. He just turned to Jason and looked him in the eye.

"Uh, what's he doing?"

"Don't worry. That's just the way he 'examines' you, so to speak."

The penguin stopped staring and turned to face Marlene again. "You have nothing to worry about, Marlene. He's not a spy."

"No offense, but I think I could have figured that out on my own, Skipper."

Skipper just went back to where he came from. "You're welcome." Immediately, he left.

Marlene turned to her roommate. "Sorry about that."

"It's OK. Besides, the last place I got sent to was much more awkward." He looked at where Skipper had been. "Is this gonna happen a lot, Marlene?"

"Yeah, it happens a lot in this zoo. Is that OK?"

"Sure, don't worry."

As Marlene walked to her bed, Jason just thought about what he had just seen. "_No offense, Marlene, but you and Skipper are just blatant._"

_Now, let's look at the penguins..._

As the other penguins were still doing what they had been doing, Skipper came back into the HQ.

"Oh, hi, Skippah. Where did you go?"

"That information is need to know, Private." He then turned to Kowalski. "Anything happen, Kowalski?"

"Negative, Skipper. Everything's calm. No enemies sighted."

"Excelente."

As Skipper waddled away, Kowalski turned his attention back to the Love-u-lator.

"So that's the problem. Why didn't I see it earlier?"

After finally sighting the problem, he began to work on it immediately.

* * *

Alright, this is my first shot at writing a fic about the penguins, so don't hesitate to tell me if I got something wrong. In fact, do so as much as you need. It's the only way I can improve.

What exactly could be wrong with the Love-u-lator? You'll have to wait to find out.

This is Umbra the Hedgehog signing off.


	2. Chinese night

Hello, everyone! This is Umbra the Hedgehog signing back in! This chapter came out pretty fast, didn't it? Anyway, thanks to the people who read and reviewed this story. Here's the next chapter!

**NOTE: **

-I do not own anything presented in this story other than my own OC.

* * *

_**Operation: Unite and Conquer**_

Chapter 2: Chinese night.

"OK, almost there..."

All the animals who lived in the Central Park Zoo were waiting anxiously. Waiting for the zoo to close for the day, so they could do what they did when people weren't looking.

Especially Jason the otter.

After his unexpected encounter with Skipper, he was really looking forward to a tour of the zoo. That is, of course, assuming Marlene didn't have anything else planned.

As the last visitor exited the zoo, the doors closed. The clock's bells rang, and suddenly music was heard from not too far away.

Of course, being the newcomer, Jason was confused. "Hey, Marlene. Where's that music coming from?"

"Oh, that's the lemurs." Marlene pointed at the lemurs' habitat. "They do that all the time."

After staring at where she pointed, he saw the three mammals dancing to the music.

"I gotta say, they're pretty good dancers." Jason then decided to ask his question. "Uh, Marlene?"

"Yeah?"

"I was wondering if you could give me a tour of this place."

Marlene was surprised. "Wait, you're asking me to show you around?"

"Is that OK?"

"No, no, it's OK. It's just that, well...it's the first time someone asks me that."

"Well, you're the only one I know in this zoo so far. Aside from Skipper, I mean."

"Yeah, I guess." Marlene gave out a chuckle.

"So, uh, can you?"

"Sure. It'd be my pleasure."

After that, the two otters got outside the habitat, with Marlene being more than happy to show Jason around.

_Now, we look at the penguins..._

The penguin HQ was at peace after the usual training, and the four penguins were back to their usual activities.

Only Skipper wasn't drinking coffee this time around. Rather, he was at the periscope, watching the zoo...

...particularly the otter habitat.

One could argue that, despite the comments he made during his trip there, he still didn't fully trust Jason, and was making sure he didn't try anything funny. Or maybe he was just watching over the zoo, like he usually did, and he just took a glance at her home like with all the other habitats.

But the truth was that he wanted to see Marlene.

_"Where could she be?"_

Meanwhile, Kowalski was still working on the Love-u-lator.

After reflecting on the recent events, he finally noticed why his machine failed: the wiring was indeed mixed up. As a result, the machine had only based the results on appearances rather than personality.

Since Kowalski had disassembled the device in the process, he still had Marlene's saliva sample. As such, after repairing his invention, he went outside and introduced the sample into the Love-u-lator.

After adjusting it exactly like last time, he waited for Marlene's perfect match to appear on the radar. As expected, the device worked very quickly, and Kowalski saw that the target was...inside their base?

He went back inside and decided to see who the radar was showing. Since Rico already had a girlfriend, he quickly decided he couldn't be the one.

Next was Private. He stood behind him and placed the radar right next to him, which didn't make a difference.

Which meant there was only one choice.

"_Marlene's perfect match is...Skipper?_"

At first, Kowalski was surprised. He thought her match would be located outside the zoo. Plus, Skipper had already had a marriage that ended in a divorce.

However, after reflecting on their previous adventures with the otter, he was surprised at the fact that he didn't notice how his captain acted around Marlene.

"_How could I have been so blind? He's so obviously in love with her! And she returns the feeling!_"

Right after this revelation, the door opened.

The penguins entered their fighting positions, prepared for whatever enemy had infiltrated their base, only to find it was just Marlene with her new roommate.

"And this is the penguin habitat." Marlene then noticed that the penguins were inside. "Oh, hey, guys!"

The penguins went out of their fighting stances, and Private was the first to greet them. "Hi, Marlene. Who's your friend?"

"Room...mate!" Before any of the otters could speak, Rico answered the question.

"Uh, yeah. That's me."

And so, the introductions began. Since Skipper had already met Jason, all he did was tell him his name. As expected with the others, Private was nice and polite, Kowalski was analytical, and Rico said "kaboom".

Soon enough, an alarm began to make noises, and everyone except Jason was really excited.

"Hey, what's going on?"

Private turned to the otter. "It's Chinese night!" Jason didn't understand. "Here at the Central Park Zoo, we all work together and order Chinese food every now and then."

Now he understood. "Cool! So, what do I do?"

"You can stay here. We'll come back with the food."

"Private!" Skipper slapped the young penguin. "He can't stay here. Not by himself, at least."

Kowalski stood forward. "Don't worry, Skipper. I'll stay here and watch him."

"That's a negative. The human costume requires four penguins, Kowalski. We can't do it without you."

"It's OK, Skipper." Kowalski wrote down on his notepad and handed the results to Skipper. "Marlene has an appropiate size, and she can take my place inside the costume."

"Kowalski, I don't think she wants to-" Skipper was cut off by Marlene.

"No, no, it's OK. I'd like to help with that, Skipper."

Skipper turned to face her, about to stop her from doing so. However, once he looked into her eyes, he found himself unable to refuse her offer.

"Alright then." He then turned to his lieutenant. "Keep an eye on him, Kowalski."

Kowalski saluted his leader. "Aye-aye, Skipper."

The penguins and otter exited through the main door, leaving Jason and Kowalski alone inside the penguin HQ.

As the tall penguin turned back to his radar, he saw the male otter was looking at it.

"Hey, Kowalski. What's this thing?"

"It's a machine especially designed to locate the subject's ideal match according to science."

"Interesting little gadget." Jason then noticed there was already something on the radar. "Say, whose DNA is it working with?"

"We had no guinea pigs available, so we used Marlene as a test subject."

"So...this thing is tracking Skipper down?"

"Yes, it is...wait, what?" Kowalski couldn't believe what he was hearing. "How did you know it was Skipper?"

"Hey, no offense, Kowalski, but these two are just blatant. I mean, did you see how he looked at her? Did you notice how eager she was about working with him?"

The intellectual penguin stood there, completely amazed.

An untrained otter, not to mention a newcomer to the zoo, could already tell Skipper and Marlene were a perfect match, as well as attracted to each other, and he couldn't figure it out until now?

"So, uh...you think we can get them to say it?"

Kowalski looked at Jason with a look of interest. "What do you have in mind, Jason?"

"Actually, I was about to ask you for a plan."

"OK, let me think..." Kowalski began to think of a plan, writing down on his notepad along the way.

_About 15 minutes later..._

Kowalski finished writing and showed his notepad to Jason. "This is what I've got."

The otter looked at the notes carefully, and, once he was done looking, a smile appeared on his face. "Kowalski, this is a brilliant plan! Not even my girlfriend would come up with something so well-thought!"

A smile appeared on the penguin's face as well. "It had to be; it was scientifically planned. Now, let's begin Operation...uh..." He stopped, however, when he realized he couldn't think of a name. "Uh, what are we calling this operation?"

Jason sat down and thought. "Hmm...how about 'Operation: Unite and Conquer'?"

"A very fitting name, Jason." Kowalski put away his notepad.

Soon enough, all the others came back inside with the Chinese food.

"We're back!" Marlene seemed really happy. "Anything interesting happen?"

Her roommate responded very calmly. "Not really. Everything's fine."

* * *

OK, this chapter was shorter than the last one, but it was good, right? Anyway, even though I already stressed this, I want to thank everyone who actually took the time to read this stuff (particularly my friend Simoneer and my brother Jordan Geo Hunter for the support, and inugomegirl, as some of her fics are among my personal favorites).

What could Jason and Kowalski be planning? Stay tuned to find out.

This is Umbra the Hedgehog signing off.


	3. PHASE ONE: The intervention

Hello, everyone! This is Umbra the Hedgehog signing back in! Hey, just in case, I want to apologize for taking so long with this. Well, anyway, now we have another chapter for the people who have shown interest in this. You guys rock! Here you go!

**NOTE: **

-I do not own anything presented in this story other than my own OC.

* * *

_**Operation: Unite and Conquer**_

Chapter 3: PHASE ONE – The intervention.

At the otter habitat, the two roommates were inside their room, making some space for Jason's stuff.

The newcomer had only brought a minimal amount of baggage: a TV and some pictures. As such, they didn't have to work too much on that. In a matter of minutes, they had a space prepared for his stuff.

"OK, I think we got it."

"All we need to do is move the TV here, and we're done."

As Marlene walked towards her bed, she saw Jason looking at his photos.

"Are those from your old zoo?"

"Sort of." He stood up and began to approach her. "Speaking of, what zoo did you come from?"

Marlene was flooded by memories as she began to answer. "The Monterey Bay Aquarium, back in California."

"Is there anything you miss about it?"

"Well, there's not really much. I got along well with everyone, we had a pretty good attendance, and I won the popularity contest three years in a row, until I became unable to participate in the contest again."

"Yeah, I just noticed the trophies...wait, you're out of the competition?"

"Scandal. Long story." Marlene then noticed that Jason went back to his pictures.

After taking a glance, she then noticed that they weren't images of somewhere, but someone.

"Who is that?"

He handed her a couple pictures. The images that Marlene had in her paws were of her roommate, right next to another female otter.

"That's my girlfriend, Lani." Upon hearing this, she looked at him. "I met her back at the Brookfield Zoo."

"How did that happen?"

"She got transferred from the Minnesota Zoo, I think. No idea why, though."

"You miss her?"

"Yeah, I really do. Especially since we got separated by something really ridiculous." Jason then stopped looking at his photos and faced Marlene. "Remember when I told you the last place I got sent to was awkward?" The female nodded. "You're not gonna believe this, but...I got sent to the Bronx Zoo."

Her face turned to a mixture of shock and disbelief. "Wait, whoa, whoa. The Bronx Zoo?"

"I'm not kidding here, Marlene. I got shipped there, and I don't even know why it happened. They don't even have any otters in there. All I saw were sea lions, and, to be honest, the guys weren't exactly fun to be around. And let me tell you, the Bronx is freaky." After saying that, Jason shuddered. "Trust me, you do _**not**_ want to go there."

Upon saying that, he turned back to his pictures.

"I'm sure that Lani misses you just as much as you miss her, Jason."

"I know, but I can't believe that it happened." About half a minute later, he put them down and turned back to her. "But enough about that. What about you? Have you ever gotten lucky, Marlene?"

Marlene was taken by surprise by the question. "Well, I...um...uh, not really."

"Anyone here catch your interest?"

"Actually..." She was about to answer, but stopped mid-sentence. She was unsure about whether she should say what had come to her mind...since she didn't quite understand it.

She thought about saying "no", but at the same time, she was thinking about Skipper.

They were close friends, they trusted each other despite Skipper's paranoia, and she had even went on some missions with him and his team. He was extremely protective of her, and he was actually somewhat more casual and less paranoid whenever she was around. And yet, whenever he was around, she didn't know how she was supposed to feel.

She couldn't even recall why exactly she was so enthusiastic about working with Skipper to get their Chinese takeout. It certainly wasn't the food; she had forgotten about it as soon as Kowalski mentioned the possibility of her taking his place. Could it be? Was she...?

"Yes. But before I tell you, promise me you won't laugh or anything."

"I promise. Go ahead."

Marlene took a deep breath. "You won't believe it, but...I'm actually...in love with Skipper."

"Wait, wait...Skipper? Really?" Jason did his best to play surprised.

And so, the two otters began to talk about all of Marlene's adventures with the penguins, and how and why she came to feel the way she felt about the head penguin.

_Now, let's go look at the penguins..._

The penguins had just finished their morning training, and all the 'ninja' bowling pins had been taken back into their base.

Rico was watching a movie with Private, with his doll right next to him. Meanwhile, Skipper & Kowalski were playing chess, with Skipper losing badly.

"I move my queen here, and...checkmate."

Skipper just stared, a lack of concentration showing on his face.

"Uh, Skipper?"

No response.

"Rico, we have a problem! Skipper is catatonic!"

Upon hearing this, Rico regurgitated his trusty chainsaw and approached the table, laughing maniacally as he did.

"Rico! How many times do I have to tell you? The chainsaw isn't an approved weapon!" This time, Skipper actually reacted to what was happening around him.

Kowalski sighed in relief, while the scarred penguin swallowed his chainsaw again and returned to his place between Private and his girlfriend.

"Kowalski, status report!"

The tall penguin did his best to describe the situation. "Well...Private and Rico are watching TV, and you lost the chess game."

"Really?" Skipper turned to the table, and saw that he had lost to Kowalski yet again. "I don't remember that happening."

"Well, you did space out during my final move." Kowalski took out his notepad and pencil. "In fact, it's the first time that has ever happened. Any particular reason?"

Before answering, Skipper approached his lieutenant. "Follow me outside."

Once outside, the head penguin began to speak.

"You see, your love machine made me realize something, Kowalski. I..." Like Marlene, Skipper was unable to complete his sentence easily. "I..."

Kowalski knew what he was going for, but had to pretend he didn't for his plan to work. "_Come on, Skipper. You know you can. Just say it._"

"I..." Skipper swallowed hard. "I'm in love...with Marlene."

"With...Marlene?" Kowalski began to write down, his notepad covering the satisfied smile that appeared on his face. "How long have you felt this way?"

"Since the 'haunted habitat' incident. You see...Marlene...she..." Skipper had trouble swallowing his pride, as the thought he was risking Kowalski's respect by telling him all this. "She saved my life that day. More than once, actually."

_**-**__**flashback-**_

_After hearing the sound that was frightening Marlene, they blew a manhole open, deciding to search for the source. Skipper immediately approached it, followed by Marlene._

"_Anything?"_

"_Negatorio. Nada.__ Zippo."_

_While looking into the hole, they failed to realize that the cap was coming down._

"_I'm telling you, there is something-" Marlene's sentence was interrupted by the cap dropping on top of her and Skipper, sending them down the sewers._

_They fell into the water, Skipper having gone unconscious because of the blow to his head. Swimming towards him, Marlene was stopped by the penguin subconsciously going into one of his fighting stances. However, that didn't stop her from dragging him out of the water._

_After forcing the water out of his lungs, she saw him wake up._

"_Are you my mommy?" Clearly, he was still dazed._

"_Skipper, are you OK?" She shone the flashlight in his face, which seemed to snap him back to normal._

"_Never better."_

* * *

"_SEWER MONSTER! RETREAT!"_

_The monster was about to trample Skipper as he stepped back. However, as it came closer, a pair of legs came down and grabbed him, swinging him up until he was facing a pipe._

_After the monster went past them, they finally let go of him, and he landed on top of his recorder. As he straightened himself back up, his face was frozen with shock, as he realized it was Marlene who had saved him._

* * *

_Kowalski __turned to see Skipper talking to Marlene, and walked towards them, stopping right next to Skipper._

"_Lucky break you were down there to rescue Marlene, eh, Skipper?"_

_But the answer that he gave was unexpected. "Actually, Kowalski...I didn't so much rescue Marlene as..." He stopped in the middle of his sentence, his pride getting in the way._

_As Marlene looked at him with a satisfied look on her face, he decided to continue. "Well, let's just say__...next time I find myself caught in the swirling currents of raw sewage...I hope that Marlene is at my side."_

_The otter's face just melted into a happy __expression. "Aww, that's so sweet!" And then, she switched to a confused face. "...I think."_

_**-end flashback-**_

As Skipper finished his story, Kowalski was still writing down on his notepad.

"The thing is...I never could bring myself to tell her. I kept telling myself that a military leader has no time for something as love. Besides, you know how things went with Lola. I wasn't sure if I was made to love."

"I see." The intellectual penguin then put away his notepad, turning to his leader. "And what exactly has incited this change of behavior? You never acted like this until now."

"You said the Love-u-lator was designed to find the subject's ideal match, right?" Kowalski nodded. "Well, it said that the squirrel was Marlene's perfect match. Her date failed, but it's clear that I'm not the one for her."

Kowalski then remembered. "Actually, Skipper..." He took out his radar. "The failure wasn't because of science." He opened the radar and showed the wiring to Skipper. "I made a mistake when building the radar. I just fixed it and, well..."

He put it back together, and showed the results to his leader. After looking at the radar, Skipper stood in place, completely shocked.

"According to this, you _**are**_ Marlene's perfect match."

Skipper put down the radar, his face now seeming more determined. "Thank you, Kowalski."

"What now, Skipper?"

"I have to go and tell her." He began to walk out of their base, but was stopped by Kowalski. "What are you doing, Kowalski?"

"Skipper, I understand that you want to be with Marlene, but you can't just go and speak like this." He then let go of his captain. "You should wait for the right moment."

"How will I know when that is?"

Kowalski put a flipper on Skipper's shoulder. "Trust me, Skipper. You'll know it when you see it."

With this, the two went back into their HQ. Kowalski, however, was still thinking about one thing.

"_Phase one: complete._"

* * *

Sorry about the long wait, people. I hope you haven't given up on me. Anyway, the reason I took so long with this was because I had to work a lot back at home. Also, I had to investigate about zoos, so I could put what you saw up there.

Phase one is complete. But what is phase two? Stay tuned to find out.

This is Umbra the Hedgehog signing off.


	4. PHASE TWO: The transfer

Hello, everyone! This is Umbra the Hedgehog signing back in! Well, uh...not much to say this time around. So, I'll just say it: a new chapter is up!

**NOTE: **

-I do not own anything presented in this story other than my own OC.

* * *

_**Operation: Unite and Conquer**_

Chapter 4: PHASE TWO – The transfer.

"Wow..."

Marlene's little trip down Memory Lane was finished, and Jason couldn't help but stare at her.

"You've really done all that stuff?"

"Yeah. With the guys here, that's basically your normal day."

He then turned away from her. "Well, I just learned two things from your stories."

"And what's that?"

"Number one: this zoo is gonna be a great home. Their crazy stunts sound like a lot of fun." After saying this, Jason stood up. "And number two: you have all the reason to like Skipper."

Marlene couldn't help but blush, not saying anything.

"And yet, it forces me to ask: why haven't you told him how you feel?"

"You've seen him. You know how he acts. I doubt that he feels the same way I do. He didn't even care about Fred supposedly being my perfect match." She let out a sigh.

"OK, but what if he does?"

"If he does, I want him to admit his feelings first. If he can get his pride out of the way long enough to say it, that's good enough."

"I see..." Jason looked at Marlene thoughtfully. "_Wow...she really loves him. I know that feeling. It's a good thing we started this plan. Speaking of..._" He then remembered the next step. "Hey, Marlene?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm gonna go for a walk. Is that OK with you?"

"Sure. I could use a moment alone anyway."

And with that, he headed outside.

_Now, to the penguins..._

"Alright, boys. Good job. Training is over."

The three other penguins saluted their leader. "Aye-aye, Skipper."

As they headed back inside, Kowalski noticed that Skipper wasn't going back inside with them. He was just standing there, looking over at the otter habitat again.

He then remembered something he wanted to ask Skipper during their talk.

"Uh, Skipper?"

Skipper then turned to Kowalski. "Speak up, soldier."

"I have a question for you. One related to our previous talk."

"Go ahead." Skipper's voice softened.

"You never reacted to the original erroneous result of the Love-u-lator. You just went through with it like you didn't care. Why didn't you react to it?"

Unlike last time, Skipper didn't have trouble talking. "I really thought the machine was right. I convinced myself that I wasn't right for Marlene." He turned away from Kowalski. "And when the radar said her match was outside the zoo, I decided that, at the very least, she should be with the one who was right for her. If I couldn't be with her, at least she would be happy."

Kowalski couldn't help but stare at his captain, a look of extreme respect plastered on his face. "_Skipper...you're exactly the way Private described you. You were even willing to let her be with someone else, just for her sake. Marlene probably doesn't know how fortunate she is._" And then, like Jason, he remembered the next step of his plan. "Skipper, I request your authorization to do recon."

"Permission granted, soldier." Skipper's voice went back to its usual tone.

Kowalski saluted his leader, and headed for the outside.

_We go to their meeting point now..._

Jason was inside the zoovenir store, waiting for Kowalski to show up. As he looked at all the merchandise, he heard the door open. Upon turning around, he saw that the tall penguin had entered the store, carrying his notepad.

"Took you a while." Jason dropped down to the ground. "So, what have you got?"

Kowalski began to go through his notes. "Actually, I have good news and bad news."

"OK...bad news first. That way, the good news might offer some relief."

"The bad news is...well...we can't go through with phase two."

"Wait, what? Why?"

The penguin kept going through his notes. "The popcorn cart just got taken away. So did the piñata we were about to take. Also, I couldn't get any glue out from inside Rico."

"Aw, crud." The otter then sat down, disappointed. "So...what's the good news?"

Kowalski still kept going through his notes. "The good news is that I have come up with a backup plan."

Upon hearing this, Jason got up again. "Well, that _**is**_ really good." He then walked up to the penguin and stopped right next to him. "So, how does that go?"

Kowalski just handed his notepad to Jason, who began to see what was written on it. When he was done going through the new plan, he was completely overtaken by emotion.

"You...you mean...?"

Kowalski just smiled at his otter friend. "That's right, Jason." He then pointed at the office. "We are going to bring your girlfriend to the zoo."

Upon hearing this, Jason felt a smile forming in his face. "I'm gonna see her again?"

"If you can fulfill the requirements, yes."

Jason gave the notepad back to Kowalski. "OK, let's do this. Hand me that thing."

"It's over there. Now, I'm going back to the base."

Jason just gave a grin. "This is gonna be sweet!"

_Now, we go back to the penguin__ HQ..._

It had been a long while since the intellectual and the newcomer had gone outside.

Private was watching a movie, while Rico was combing his doll's hair again. Skipper was sitting down on the table, holding his coffee cup.

He was still going over what Kowalski had told him.

"_The right time...when will that be?_"

As he took a sip of his coffee, Kowalski came back into the HQ.

"I'm back, Skipper."

Skipper left his cup in the table, and got up quickly. "What did you see, Kowalski?"

"Everything is fine, Skipper. No enemies sighted."

"Perfecto." Upon saying this, the head penguin went back to his coffee, while Kowalski went back to his collection of gizmos and gadgets.

As he took one of them out, Marlene came through the door.

"Hey, guys!"

Three of the penguins got into their fighting stances, while Kowalski still worked on his invention.

Upon seeing the female, they calmed down.

Skipper, however, stood in front of her. "Marlene, do you always have to come in unannounced?"

Marlene put her paws on her hips. "Does that sound familiar to you, Skipper?" She reminded him of how they always came in without knocking. "Well, anyway...is Jason around here? It's been a while, and he hasn't come back yet."

"That's a negative, Marlene. You're the only otter in this base."

After this, an awkward silence followed.

The penguin and otter just stood in place, looking into each other's eyes while Private and Rico watched. They debated whether or not to confess their feelings...

"Skipper!"

...until Kowalski called out for his captain.

Upon hearing the call, Skipper went to where Kowalski was, with Marlene and his team following him.

"What is it, Kowalski?"

The intellectual penguin pointed to a signal his radar was receiving. "It seems we have an incoming transmission."

"Well, what are you waiting for? Patch it through the com!"

"I'm on it."

After some work, the penguins and otter could hear the transmission.

"_I'm telling you, we are not bringing in another animal! Not like this!_" It sounded like Alice.

"_Face it, Alice, we have to! Look at the numbers!_" And there was someone else talking with her.

"_Trust me, you can't have another one of those in here! It's already hard enough with those penguins around! It's not worth it!_"

"_I'm sorry, the decision is already made. I'm out._"

"_Yeah, yeah, whatever._" After making sure there was no one else listening, the voice continued. "_Too bad you don't know I already erased that. And you never will. We're not gonna go with another otter, especially one from Brookfield. One female is more than enough!_" A thud was heard, followed by a groan. "_I hate this job..._"

The transmission ended.

Skipper then rounded up his men.

"Attention, soldiers. We have an important mission." He then pointed to the door. "We have to revert Alice's sabotage and ensure that the new mammal will arrive at the zoo."

The three penguins saluted. "Aye-aye, sir!"

"Let's roll out!"

As three of the penguins slid outside, Marlene instinctively followed them. Kowalski, however, stayed behind for a moment.

"Well done, Jason. Those impersonations were spot on."

The otter's voice could be heard from where the previous transmission had come from. "_No problem. Imitating voices is my forte!_"

"Alright, meet us in front of the office. And don't forget...act natural."

"_Gotcha._"

The transmission ended again, and Kowalski headed outside to catch up with the others.

_Outside the office..._

"They should be here any moment now." He turned around, only to see they were coming closer. "Ah, here they are. OK, act natural."

The four penguins came to a stop in front of Jason, with Marlene closely behind.

"Hey, guys! What's going on?"

Skipper took a step forward. "The zookeeper Alice has made an attempt at boycotting a transfer, and we are here to undo her work."

"Another transfer?"

Private stepped forward too. "She said it was a female otter, from the Brookfield Zoo."

"A female? But there was only one female when I left, and it hasn't been that long."

"Wait...wouldn't that mean...?" Marlene remembered her roommate's story.

"Yeah. It means I'm on this, too."

"Not so fast, otter." Skipper stopped him. "We can't bring a civilian into this. Not unless you're an asset to the mission."

Everything was going as planned.

"The whole transfer thing is on a computer, right?"

"Affirmative."

"That means you have to read. Can any of you guys read?"

As all the others remained silent, Rico just managed to grunt out an answer. "Uh-uh."

Skipper realized that they rushed to the office without the chimps, the only ones in the zoo who knew how to read.

Or so he thought.

"Well, Skipper, this is your lucky day." Jason walked up in front of him. "Back at the Brookfield Zoo, my girlfriend Lani taught me how to read. From what I can tell, you're gonna need me."

Skipper sighed. "OK, you're coming on this mission. But don't try anything funny!" He then pointed at the door. "Alright, men...and Marlene...we are going in!"

As they entered, Jason and Kowalski stayed behind the others.

"Kowalski, you were right. He brought out this whole 'civilian' thing with me, even though he doesn't even care that Marlene came here with you guys." The otter whispered, being careful not to ruin the plan.

"Yes. And he hasn't even noticed yet." Kowalski then pointed up. "Time to get to work."

The penguins and otters then got up to the desk and turned on the computer.

Skipper turned to Marlene and his team. "Kowalski! Newcomer! Do your thing."

"Aye-aye, Skipper." Both males replied. Although Kowalski was being serious, Jason was just joking around.

_7 and a half minutes later..._

The office door opened up, and the group of animals came out.

"Operation: Override is officially a success!" Skipper declared to his men.

The penguins celebrated with some high-fives and low-fives, like they usually do, while the two otters just watched.

"Do they always do that?"

"Yeah. You'll get used to it."

Skipper then turned to the mammals. "Newcomer, I...uh, I hate to admit it, but we couldn't have done it without you." He then extended his flipper.

"Uh...sure, no problem." Jason raised his arm and completed the handshake.

Immediately after, Skipper turned back to his men. "Alright, soldiers. Back to base!"

The three penguins replied. "Aye-aye, Skipper." After this, the team went back to their habitat, leaving the otters behind.

Jason then looked at Marlene, who was looking at the stars.

"_Skipper..._"

He then put a paw on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Marlene. Something tells me that he'll say it soon enough."

"Thanks, Jason."

"No problem. Let's head back home now."

And they did. As they walked away, Jason was thinking about something.

"_Phase two is done, and I feel great!_"

* * *

Well, here you go, people. Still not much to say. But here's something: I'd like to give some more thanks that I didn't give last time. Thanks to VivianShadowGirl and Mastermindhunter, for keeping such a close watch on the fic. I really hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.

OK, Lani is coming to the zoo, and the plan is nearing completion. Only one chapter to go!

This is Umbra the Hedgehog signing off.


	5. PHASE THREE: The catalyst

Hello, everyone! This is Umbra the Hedgehog signing back in! Well, uh...here it is. Last chapter, people. Came out just in time for that special month, too. In fact, it was a little faster than I thought it would be. I guess that's what happens when you like something so much. Anyway, I better stop it so you can read.

**NOTE: **

-I do not own anything presented in this story other than my own OC.

* * *

_**Operation: Unite and Conquer**_

Chapter 5: PHASE THREE – The catalyst.

As dawn broke over the Central Park Zoo, Marlene was on her bed, sleeping peacefully. The sun's reflection made its way into her habitat, waking her up like it usually did. She slowly got up from her bed, letting out a yawn and heading outside, ready for her morning swim.

As she made her way out, however, she noticed that her roommate wasn't around.

"_He's probably with the boys._" Marlene quietly laughed to herself.

She then jumped into her pool. After all the tension that had been going on after Jason's arrival, the female found her morning swim really relaxing. As she made some underwater spins, she managed to get her mind off of everything, thinking about nothing but the feeling of the water covering her.

As she came out to the surface for a breath, Jason came back right in front of her, like the penguins usually did, except he came out with a jump, landing with one hand.

"Whoo, yeah! I still got it!"

Marlene was left surprised. "H-how did you do that?"

"Believe it or not..." The male got on his feet. "...that's what happens when you watch lots of TV." He scratched the back of his head, with a goofy grin on his face.

Marlene couldn't help but laugh.

This caught Jason's attention. "Good to see you laugh. You've been awfully tense."

"I guess I just needed a swim." She gave out a smile. "I forgot how relaxing the pool was."

"Yeah, maybe I should have a swim sometime."

As Marlene came out of the pool, she asked him a question. "So, where were you?"

"Oh, right. I went to talk with Kowalski." Marlene's guess was proven correct. "I wanted to see if he could help me get satellite TV." Jason then took out a little gadget. "Turns out he can. I'm gonna go and install it."

He headed inside, and Marlene followed him, curious to see if it worked.

"OK, I think it goes here." He placed the gadget on top of his TV. "Now, let's turn it on."

As he turned it on, some voices could be heard from it.

"_...and that's the end of this show for today!_"

And then, the image began to appear.

"Yes! It works!"

Marlene was left confused. "How does that work?"

"Kowalski said this thing is supposed to be some sort of miniature satellite dish. He said their TV has one too."

"I guess you have several things to watch if you had to ask him for it."

"Yep. There's the _Blue Beetle_ cartoon, reruns of _Sonic the Hedgehog_...they even say _Spliced_ is back on qubo."

"That's nice...I guess."

As Jason sat down in front of the TV, the penguins came out of nowhere.

Marlene just stared. "Guys, do you ever knock?"

"You know we pride ourselves in a rapid response, Marlene." Skipper gave her his usual kind of answer.

Kowalski then noticed that his other otter friend was watching TV.

"I see this one works too." He then sat down next to Jason.

The otter turned to Kowalski. "Works like a charm." He then turned back to the TV. "Wow, look at that! A preview for the third season of _Ratchet & Clank_!"

As they watched TV, the others just looked at them silently.

"So, why did you guys come here?" Until Marlene broke the silence.

Private was the one who answered. "Remember the sabotage we managed to undo?" The female nodded. "Kowalski said the transfer was scheduled for today."

Skipper then took over for him. "And we've come to ensure that the new mammal arrives safely...and to ensure she's not a spy."

"Oh, Skippy. Still as paranoid as ever." Marlene stroked the top of his head, surprisingly affectionate.

As she slowly backed away, Skipper didn't know what disturbed him more. The fact that she just stroked his head...her calling him "Skippy"...him not caring that she called him "paranoid"...or the fact that this whole exchange resembled the one they had when she told them about her new roommate.

It took all of his willpower to not spill his guts and tell her what he felt, as he still wasn't sure if it was the right moment. As hard as it was for him, he had to admit it...Marlene was breaking through his defenses.

Thankfully for him, he was distracted by the sounds of the TV.

"_Your luck is extraordinary, sir, but...do you lose as gracefully as you win?_"

"_I would not know, Maximilian. I never lose._"

"_There is a first time for everything...Agent Clank!_"

As a short action scene began, Marlene let out a chuckle.

"Does that remind you of someone?"

Upon hearing this, the others had a small laugh. All of them except for Skipper.

They kept watching for a while, until the preview came to an end.

"_Don't forget to catch it tonight at 8:00!_"

Once it ended, a sound was heard from the outside. Immediately after, the penguins went into their fighting stances, while the otters just turned to the outside.

They all headed outside, stopping in front of another box.

"Well, here it is."

As Jason began to approach the box, he was stopped by Skipper. "Stay back, newcomer. Until we ensure that it's safe, this is a job for Rico."

Rico then regurgitated his flamethrower and pointed at the box.

After he poked it, the box opened up, and Jason's suspicions were confirmed.

"I hope this is the one." It was his girlfriend, Lani.

As she came out, she noticed that a penguin was carrying a flamethrower. However...

"Hey, uh...your flamethrower is blocked."

Rico tilted his head to the side, confused. After turning his flamethrower around, he noticed that, indeed, it had been blocked by a banana he had for breakfast. He then proceeded to swallow it back, disappointed and slightly ashamed.

Lani was left baffled by this, but not for long. "So, um...is there a green-eyed male otter with gray paws anywhere around here?"

"Affirmative." Skipper walked up to her. "But first..." He began to look her in the eye, the same way he had done with her boyfriend.

"Wh-what are you doing?"

Private answered her question. "He does that to make sure you're not a spy or something similar."

Skipper then backed away from her. "Perfecto. Come with me." He then took her to where Jason was, behind Private and Kowalski.

Upon seeing her up close, he just froze.

"Um, Jason? Hello?"

And then, in the blink of an eye, he found himself hugging her.

"You're here...for real..." She was surprised by this, but quickly returned the embrace. "Lani...it's been only a few days, but darn, did it feel like an eternity!"

"I know. I...I really missed you, too. The habitat was really dull without you around." She closed her eyes. "And I missed your hugs, too..."

Kowalski looked at the two, satisfied.

"_Just like I knew it would happen. Now, it's only a matter of time._"

Marlene was the first to comment on this scene. "Aww, isn't that just sweet?"

Private watched as well, while Rico was kneeling in front of their usual entry point, his mushy love sensitivity getting the best of him. Skipper just stood, watching them without so much as a cough.

Jason and Lani then let go of each other.

"So, let me introduce you to the gang." He turned to Marlene. "This is my roommate, Marlene."

Lani then walked up to her. "Hi, Marlene. Pleased to meet you."

"Oh, uh...right. Hi. Um...nice to meet you, Lani." Marlene had a little trouble forming that sentence.

He then took her to see the penguins. "And these are the zoo penguins." As he went through their names, he pointed at each one of them. "The flat-headed one's name is Skipper, the tall one is Kowalski, the short one's Private, and the one with the scar and mohawk is Rico."

They all saluted her, which left her slightly confused.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it." The other two otters told her in unison.

Skipper then turned to his men. "Alright, men. Our work here is done."

As they headed for the exit, Jason stopped them.

"Hey, guys!"

Skipper was the one who answered. "What is it?"

"Actually..." He scratched the back of his head again. "If you guys don't mind, can we welcome Lani...uh, penguin-style? Is that right?"

"I'll let it slide. Go on."

"Well, Marlene worked hard on my welcome. I'd say she definitely deserves a break. Besides, your boys look like they could use some fun. What do you say, Skipper?"

Skipper remained silent, trying to make his decision.

"......Very well." He then turned to his men. "Attention, soldiers. We are having a welcome party!"

Everyone cheered at the sound of this.

As three of the penguins made their way back to their HQ, Skipper turned to Jason. "This is your girlfriend we are talking about. You better come with us."

"Aye-aye, Skipper." Once again, Jason joked around with him, which got a laugh out of Lani.

With this, Skipper entered the secret passageway, thinking about one thing.

"_First Marlene, and now this guy...what is it about otters that makes them so persuasive?_"

Jason, however, stayed behind for a moment. "I'm gonna leave the ladies alone for a while. Have fun!"

The two females responded in unison. "We will!"

Jason then went into the secret passageway too.

_Later that day, at night..._

As Jason and the penguins prepared Lani's welcome party, she and Marlene got to know each other very well. They had a long talk, went out for a tour of the zoo, and even managed to see Alice not caring about the recent transfer, just like she usually did about everything else. During all this, they were surprised to find that they also shared several interests, like their love for candy.

As they made their way back home, Marlene could feel her happiness rise to insanely high levels. Lani was like the sister she never had. And the fact that there was another female in the zoo that she could talk to, not to mention one who would live with her, just made it all the better.

The only thing that could possibly top it off, she thought, was Skipper saying what she wanted to hear from him.

She kept thinking about this when they arrived at their habitat, but was distracted from those thoughts when Jason popped out of the secret tunnel. This time, however, only his head was visible.

"Hey, girls. We're all done. Come over here." With these words, he went back inside. The two then went into the tunnel.

After some sliding and walking, they found themselves inside the penguins' base. Marlene was surprised to see that the military HQ look was dropped in favor of a more festive look.

"Oh, hey." Private greeted them. "You're just in time."

Jason wrapped his arm around Lani. "This is all for you!"

The party went smoothly. There was a regular dinner, a game of Musical Chairs (as you can guess, it was Private who suggested it), a game of hockey, a fish duel, and even the usual poker games that the penguins had. Even Skipper found himself having a lot of fun during the party.

And then, it all came down to the final event: a fireworks display.

Rico stood in front of all the fireworks, while all the others sat away from them.

Skipper then gave the order. "Rico...make them fly."

The manic penguin regurgitated his flamethrower, having unblocked it during the preparations, and lit the fuses.

"Kaboom!" Immediately after, the first rocket exploded.

Rico then went back to the others, as the rest of the fireworks began to fly.

As they kept on exploding, they caught the attention of the other zoo animals, though only briefly, not enough to keep them watching. The penguins and otters, on the other hand, just sat and kept watching.

"_Alright, it's time to end this plan._" Kowalski thought, knowing what his friend would do during this.

During this remarkable sight, Jason wrapped his arm around Lani again. Near immediately, the female leaned onto him, both of them staring into the sky with a smile on their faces.

"It doesn't get any better than this." Upon saying this, he stroked his girlfriend's cheek.

"I wouldn't trade this for anything." Lani sighed happily. "The sky is just beautiful."

Jason then turned to her. "Yeah, but I know someone who can top that."

"Sappy as always, huh?" She let out a chuckle.

"Heh, you know you love it."

As this ensued, Private just stared into the sky, Rico was firing away into a paper bag, and Kowalski just kept taking glances at Skipper and Marlene, who had been distracted from the fireworks display by the scene that was next to them.

They were both going over the same thought: when was Skipper going to speak up?

"Attention, everyone." They didn't have to wonder for long.

Everyone turned to the source to the sentence. Skipper was standing up, which left them slightly confused. All of them except for Jason and Kowalski, who knew where this was heading.

"I have something important to say." Skipper took a step forward. "But before I do, be warned: given the matter at hand, you might want to stay away from Rico. Trust me, you should."

This got a laugh out of all the others.

"Alright. Now, I continue."

With this comment, he turned towards Marlene, holding out his flipper in front of her.

"_It's now or never. There's not going to be another moment like this one._"

As he went over this, Marlene reached out and grabbed his flipper. Once Skipper helped her up, he turned back to the others. However, there was one thing she noticed once she was on her feet...he was still cradling her paw in his flipper.

"I've had something to say for a long time. Something I've kept on the deepest, darkest corners of my mind." Skipper's voice had softened again. "The two most recent zoo transfers have made me realize that...I can't keep it in there anymore."

He then turned to Marlene. It was obvious to her now that he didn't plan on letting go of her paw.

"Marlene..."

There was no going back now. It was time to swallow his pride and get down to business.

"We've been through so much together. Almost as much as me and the boys. And now, looking back on all of it, I want to thank you for all those times." He was staring deep into her eyes, though not in the same way he did with the other two otters. "I wouldn't trade these experiences for anything in this world. I..."

He made a pause, trying to find the proper follow-up. Marlene, on the other hand, just stood in front of Skipper, speechless.

Skipper took a deep breath before continuing. "I've really come to appreciate your company, Marlene. I don't think the zoo would be the same without you." He then took her other paw. "And I can't imagine what I would do if that happened. I just don't want to. I doubt that I could live with it. I want you here...with us...with me." He came closer, their faces separate only by a few centimeters. "What I'm trying to get to is...I..."

He made another pause. The others were just staring in shock, even the ones who orchestrated this moment. They never would have guessed that Skipper could put together such sentences. Marlene just kept staring, so shocked but overjoyed at the same time that she just barely remembered to breathe.

"Marlene..." Though with some difficulty, the words finally came out. "I...I love you."

At the very same time, one of the fireworks exploded, almost as if to celebrate this moment.

After these words, Skipper finally let go of Marlene's paws, and backed away slowly with his eyes shut tightly, bracing himself for whatever was going to happen next. However, not even that could prepare him for what came next...

Nothing.

He opened his eyes, which met the image of Marlene. She still kept staring at him. His speech had caught her completely off-guard, and she didn't even know how to react at this.

Skipper turned away from her, heading towards the HQ entrance. However, he was prevented from making the first step when he found himself caught in Marlene's grip.

"Skipper..." He turned around to face her again. "That's...the most beautiful thing anyone's ever said to me. You don't know how long I've been waiting to hear you say that." Now it was his turn to be caught off-guard. "And how long I've wanted to do this..."

Much to his surprise, Marlene came closer and planted a kiss next to his beak.

"I love you too, Skipper."

A smile made its way to Skipper's face, which was met by the smile that was already on Marlene's face. As they hugged each other, the others gave them a huge cheer.

During this, Jason and Kowalski stood next to each other.

"Well, we've done it. They finally said it."

"And it sure was worth it. Skipper seems really happy."

"So does Marlene. And I sure as heck am happy too."

They gave each other a low-five.

Lani then joined them. "What's up, guys?"

"Don't worry, I'll tell you later." Jason told her, with a grin on his face again. "Speaking of, what time is it?"

Kowalski took out his abacus. "Well, judging by our shadows, the position of the moon, and the location of the clock's hands, it's roughly...7:58."

Upon hearing this, Jason's eyes widened with shock. "Oh, man! I almost forgot! That new _Ratchet_ episode comes out today at 8!"

"There's new episodes?" Lani replied, surprised.

"They advertised them right before you got here. We better get back home if we want to catch it in time!"

"Right behind you!"

The two then entered the penguin HQ, intending to use the secret passageway to get there as fast as possible. Private and Rico soon followed, leaving Kowalski alone outside with Skipper and Marlene.

But not for long. "_And with that, I take my leave. I better let them be by themselves._"

With this, he entered the HQ, which left only Skipper and Marlene outside.

"This is the best day of my life."

"I agree. This is a moment I will remember for the rest of my days." Marlene made a pause before continuing. "But promise me one thing, Skipper."

"And what's that?"

"Don't get so sappy all the time, OK?"

"I can't promise you anything." Skipper replied, mockingly.

This earned him a light nudge. "Same old Skippy. That's the way I like you."

With this, Marlene turned away from him, planning to go back to her habitat.

"I'll see you tomorrow, I guess."

"You always will." Skipper also made his way inside. "Good night, Marlene."

"Good night, Skipper."

With this, he went back inside his base, while she jumped into the water.

Operation: Unite and Conquer is officially a success.

* * *

There it is. It wasn't easy, I tell you. I actually had to rewrite several parts of this over and over again. Despite that, I think it ended nicely. I really hope you think the same, people.

My thanks go to all my readers, reviewers, and the users who faved and/or added this little story to their alerts. This is all for you, and it wouldn't have finished if you hadn't kept your eye on it.

P.S: I'm done with this, but that doesn't mean it's the end. If any of you wants me to, I can make a follow-up. Just PM me or leave me a review if you want a continuation.

This is Umbra the Hedgehog signing off.


End file.
